Tri-match

The Gardendale volleyball team hosted a tri-match with Mortimer Jordan and Chelsea Monday night, producing mixed results.

The Rockets started thing off with a 2-0 win over Mortimer Jordan, who took three of four sets from them last Thursday in Kimberly.

Under the direction of first-year head coach Kelly Scott, Gardendale ran out to an early lead in the opening set and rode that momentum to a decisive 25-15 win.

Scott and the Rockets came right back for another lopsided win, this time by a final of 25-13. Blue Devil freshman Reese Colburn made her mark early on with a pair of kills, and senior Kayla Dollar went up for a block that gave the visitors a 8-7 lead, but it was all Gardendale from there.

Freshman Merritt Beason settled into an offensive rhythm with three kills down the stretch for the home team. The final point came off a Laci Reese serve, which carried the back line and secured the rivalry win for Gardendale.

Mallory McBride finished the match with 18 assists, three kills and seven digs. Beason led the Rockets’ offense with 10 kills to go with five apiece from Amy Huett and Anne Hogue.

Gardendale finished the night with a 2-1 loss to Chelsea (25-17, 22-25, 9-15).

Mortimer Jordan also dropped a close match to the Hornets, 25-23 and 27-25.

The Blue Devils jumped out to a 15-9 advantage in the second set, but Chelsea stormed by thanks in part to a flurry of aces down the stretch.

For Mortimer Jordan, Colburn came away with 12 kills and Dollar provided a team-high 30 assists. Reese also chipped in with seven kills of her own.

The Blue Devils must bounce back quickly with an important area match at Springville scheduled for Tuesday.

Gardendale returns to the court on Wednesday when the girls visit Class 7A Hewitt-Trussville.

Erik Harris is the Sports Editor of The North Jefferson News. Email him at njnsports@gmail.com or follow him on Twitter @jeharris2.